The roundabout at North Main and Auburn streets Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2013, in Rockford.

Feb. 11, 2014
2:10 p.m.

I like driving through the North Main and Auburn streets roundabout. I mean, I enjoy it. Really. It's about 1,000 times better than a stoplight.Not everyone agrees with me. That's because roundabouts require a certain level of cooperation and adherence to a few rules. Too many folks apparently think they are supposed to barrel into the roundabout without looking. Others are too skittish about driving through it.I bet many of the occupants of vehicles involved in the 19 fender benders there in the first three months of its operation do not agree with me. There were 11 crashes there in all of 2012 when the intersection was controlled by a stoplight.But I drove through the Main and Auburn roundabout again today (twice) and not only did I not have any problem whatsoever, it was fun. And I learned I should be using my turn signals while in there.Some folks - the ones who don't yield, drive the wrong direction and stop at every outlet - are having trouble figuring out how to navigate it. It's not the four-way stop we've become accustomed to in northern Illinois and I figure it could take some time for some people to learn how it works.But once they do learn how to use it, I think they will agree with the American Council of Engineering Companies that it's well designed.Hanson Professional Services was recognized with a "Transportation" Honor Award by the 2014 ACEC engineering excellence awards Friday for their phase I and II designs of the North Main & Auburn Roundabout project which began construction in April and opened fully Oct. 27.By the way, Missman, Inc. was also recognized with an Honor Award for its work in the "Studies, Research and Consulting" category for work coordinating phase I engineering on the West State Street Corridor project.